Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for depression in children and adolescents.

Background: Mental health disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD) are well recognized as major contributors to the global burden of disease among adolescents. The prevalence of adolescent depression is estimated to have increased by at least 25% during the COVID-19 pandemic, compounding the already challenging problem of insufficient mental health service and service accessibility that existed prepandemic. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation is currently recommended as a preventive treatment for depression in high-risk adults as well as a second-line monotherapy for adults with mild to moderate MDD, and adjunctive to antidepressants for adults with moderate to severe MDD.

A personalised nutrition intervention for adolescent depression: a mixed-methods feasibility pilot study.

Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated the benefit of diet modification to improve diet quality in the treatment of adult major depressive disorder (MDD). However, research examining nutritional interventions for adolescents with MDD is sparse. This pilot study examined the feasibility of a personalised nutrition intervention for adolescents with MDD.

The relationship between anxiety and diet quality in adolescent populations: a cross-sectional analysis.

Globally, more than 13 % of adolescents have clinically significant mental health problems, with anxiety and depression comprising over 40 % of cases. Despite the high prevalence of anxiety disorders among youth, dietary research has been focused on youth with depression, resulting in a significant knowledge gap regarding the impact of anxiety on adolescent diet quality. Adolescents with diagnosed anxiety disorders and healthy controls were included in this study.

Oops, we missed a spot: Comparing data substitution methods for non-random missing survey data in a longitudinal study.

Imputation methods for missing data may not always be applicable, namely, when the data were completely missing for the whole sample. To estimate the missing data, we compared three missing item substitution methods: (1) mean substitution; (2) last observation carried forward (LOCF); and (3) regression-predicted values. A total of 384 parents reported their 8- to 18-year-old children's anxiety level using the 9-item Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders at baseline (Time 1) and two later time points, drawing from a larger longitudinal study (Ontario COVID-19 and Kids' Mental Health Study).

The Effect of Screen Time and Positive School Factors in the Pathway to Child and Youth Mental Health Outcomes.

Beyond achievement, educational settings offer informal supports that may be critical for child and youth mental health. However, children's educational environments have experienced significant disruption with the coronavirus pandemic. School settings offer unique opportunities to support children's mental health, but research must identify powerful points of intervention.

The gut microbiome in children with mood, anxiety, and neurodevelopmental disorders: An umbrella review.

Research on the gut microbiome and mental health among children and adolescents is growing. This umbrella review provides a high-level overview of current evidence syntheses to amalgamate current research and inform future directions. Searches were conducted across seven databases for peer-reviewed pediatric (<18 years) review literature.

The trajectory of depression and anxiety among children and adolescents over two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longitudinal research examining children's mental health (MH) over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. We examined trajectories of depression and anxiety over two pandemic years among children with and without MH disorders. Parents and children 2-18 years completed surveys at seven timepoints (April 2020 to June 2022).

Depression and emotional eating in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Major Depressive Disorder in youth is associated with obesity and adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Eating in response to emotions (emotional eating) is a potential contributing factor to this association. Although emotional eating is associated with Major Depressive Disorder in adults, findings in children and adolescents are mixed.

Evaluation of depressive and anxiety symptoms in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: Frequency, course, and associated risk factors.

Background: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are common in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), yet their etiology and course remain unclear. We investigated the frequency of depressive and anxiety symptoms longitudinally in youth with cSLE, and associated socio-demographic and disease factors.

Methods: Participants 8-18 years with cSLE completed baseline measures [demographic questionnaire, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC), Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), and psychiatric interview] and follow-up measures (CES-DC and SCARED) > 6 months later.

The Relationship between Neurobiological Function and Inflammation in Depressed Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: Neurobiological dysfunction is associated with depression in children and adolescents. While research in adult depression suggests that inflammation may underlie the association between depression and brain alterations, it is unclear if altered levels of inflammatory markers provoke neurobiological dysfunction in early-onset depression. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of existing literature investigating the potential interaction between neurobiological function and inflammation in depressed children and adolescents.

Neurocognitive correlates of metabolic dysregulation in individuals with mood disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Individuals with mood disorders are predisposed to metabolic dysfunction, while those with metabolic dysregulation such as diabetes and obesity experience more severe depressive symptoms. Both metabolic dysfunction and mood disorders are independently associated with cognitive deficits. Therefore, given their close association, this study aimed to explore the association between metabolic dysfunction in individuals with mood disorders in relation to cognitive outcomes.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Child and Adolescent Healthcare Utilization for Eating Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis documenting healthcare service utilization rates for pediatric (age <19 years) eating disorders during compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection were searched for studies published up to May 19, 2023. Studies with pediatric visits to primary care, inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department for eating disorders before and during the pandemic were included.

Evaluation of an automated matching system of children and families to virtual mental health resources during COVID-19.

Background: Children and their families often face obstacles in accessing mental health (MH) services. The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot test an electronic matching process to match children with virtual MH resources and increase access to treatment for children and their families during COVID-19.

Methods: Within a large observational child cohort, a random sample of 292 families with children ages 6-12 years were invited to participate.

La promotion de l'évolution optimale de la santé mentale chez les enfants et les adolescents.

Les dispensateurs de soins pédiatriques sont souvent le premier point de contact des enfants et des adolescents aux prises avec des problèmes de santé mentale, mais ils ne possèdent pas nécessairement les ressources (p. ex., l'accès à une équipe multidisciplinaire) ni la formation nécessaires pour procéder à leur dépistage ou à leur prise en charge.

Promoting optimal mental health outcomes for children and youth.

While paediatric care providers are often the first point of contact for children or youth experiencing mental health challenges, they may lack the resources (e.g., access to a multidisciplinary team) or training to adequately identify or manage such problems.

The role of parenting practices in parent and child mental health over time.

Background: Parent and child mental health has suffered during the pandemic and transition phase. Structured and shared parenting may be intervention targets beneficial to families who are struggling with parent or child mental health challenges.

Aims: First, we investigated associations between structured and shared parenting and parent depression symptoms.